States

Florida's statewide welfare-to-work program has achieved only mixed
success, savng taxpayers money but reducing the incomes of
participants, a two-year evaluation has found.

Project Independence, the combined federal and state Job
Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program, paid for itself by
reducing Aid to Families with Dependent Children payments to
participants, most of whom are single mothers.

But the study released last week said the program was not able to
increase participants' earnings enough to offset decreases in A.F.D.C.
and other welfare payments. Over a five-year period, those in the
program realized a net loss averaging $370 each.

The participants who saw sustained gains in earnings were those who
had no preschool-age children and who joined the program before the
growing caseload reduced the availability of child care.

The New York City-based Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
conducted the study for the state.

Back to the Drawing Board

Designers of the Maine Educational Assessment tests say they will
review the new format used on 4th-grade exams following criticism of
some of the questions.

This year, for the first time, all questions on the test--taken in
January by most 4th graders--required written, open-ended answers.
Multiple-choice questions were eliminated.

Supporters say the format better reflects what students know.
Critics say some questions were unclear and too difficult. Some
teachers said they had trouble understanding many of them.

"It's always been a teacher-designed test," said Polly Ward, the
deputy state education commissioner. "We'd like to review their
comments."

Token Troubles

Some Connecticut school officials are balking at a change in the way
the state's public-transit system charges fares, which could cost
districts thousands of dollars a year.

The price school districts pay for fares for students, 70 cents per
trip, will remain the same with the new token cards. But district
officials say they will lose money because the districts will have to
shoulder the cost when cards are lost or stolen.

State officials say the new format will allow them to track the
number of students riding the buses and stop forgery of the printed
paper fare cards.

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